In private practice, I hear patients say all the time "I have arthritis" or "I degenerative disc disease". While I do appreciate them telling me this as part of their medical history, I place a lot less value on this diagnosis than they do. The problem with these terms is that patients can hang on to them and use them as a crutch. With a diagnosis of arthritis, it changes the patient's perspective from optimism to one that is doubtful of recovery. Patients often think that